Inspectors Say They Were Pressured To Ok Meats

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE - MIDWEST

November 17, 1998

DES MOINES, Iowa - Some veterinarians in charge of federal inspections have accused the Agriculture Department of pressuring them to certify meat products that don't meet export requirements. In two letters sent to USDA Secretary Dan Glickman, the National Association of Federal Veterinarians said a vet ``was disciplined and forced to retire'' for refusing to certify cattle as being from disease-free areas, the Des Moines Sunday Register reported. Other vets risk discipline for refusing to sign ``even the most outrageous and obvious false statements,'' a lawyer for the group said.